Travel Tip: Pop Culture and Cinema in SpainSemana Santa

Holy Week in the ancient city of Cuenca

Semana Santa SPAINSEVILLA • various venues • Ongoing

Semana Santa (holy week/easter) has been one of the most important celebrations in Seville since centuries. The Cofradías (Brotherhoods or Fraternities) process in penitence through the (many narrow) streets of the city, from their church to the Cathedral and back, taking the shortest possible route, as decreed in the rule of the ordinances by Cardenal Niño de Guevara in the 17th century.

Starting on Domingo de Ramos (Palm Sunday), and ending on Domingo de Resurrección (Easter Sunday), there are 57 brotherhoods that pay the religious visit to the Cathedral of Seville, the third largest Cathedral in the world. In the eight days of Semana Santa, a total of 57 brotherhoods, carry their 116 floats from their church to the Cathedral and back, in the company of around 60,000 brothers. Some one million spectators are expected to attend, notably during the most important moments of Semana Santa in Seville: the early morning of Good Friday which is when the brotherhoods of el Silencio, el Gran Poder, La Macarena, El Calvario, La Esperanza de Triana and los Gitanos set off for their processional penitence to the Cathedral.